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Ideal for introductory philosophy courses that take a topical, problem-oriented approach, this anthology offers an in-depth exploration of the five main branches of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, morality, politics, and aesthetics. Considerations of these branches are anchored by readings from Plato and expanded through thoughtfully edited historical and contemporary pieces by a wide range of thinkers, inviting students to become active participants in the philosophical tradition.

Key Features:

* An issues-based approach features a broad representation of past and current readings chosen and edited to compare perspectives on philosophical issues over time

* A Comprehensive selection of readings includes canonical philosophical works along with a selection of non-philosophical writings that offer unique viewpoints on key problems

* Diverse perspectives, including readings from non-Western, Canadian, and female authors, provide students with a variety of viewpoints

* Classroom-tested content ensures that the level of each selection is suited to introductory philosophy students

* Author headnotes provide biographical context for the readings

Lisa Gannett is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. She received her PhD in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario in 2004.

Each chapter includes an Introduction and Film Notes. PART ONE: THE REAL Cave Allegory, PlatoPersonal Identity Of Identity and Diversity, John LockeThe Lost Mariner, Oliver SacksPersonal Identity, Derek ParfitThe Same and the Same: Two Views of Psychological Continuity, Marya SchechtmanIntroduction to The Second Sex, Simone de BeauvoirYou're Not the Indian I Had in Mind, Thomas KingFreedom and Determinism Of the System of Man's Free Agency, Baron d'HolbachOf Liberty and Necessity, David HumeThe Antimony of Pure Reason, Immanuel KantWhen Is a Man Responsible?, Moritz SchlickAlternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility, Harry G. FrankfurtCrime, Genes, and Responsibility, Marcia BaronNatural and Social Kinds Of Words, John LockeMeaning and Reference, Hilary PutnamNatural Kinds and Biological Taxa, John DupreMadness: Biological or Constructed?, Ian HackingGender and Race: (What) Are They? (What) Do We Want Them to Be?, Sally HaslangerPreface to The Order of Things, Michel FoucaultPART TWO: THE TRUE From Meno, PlatoKnowledge of the External World From Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene DescartesFrom Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, in Opposition to Skeptics and Atheists, George BerkeleyFrom Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, David HumeFrom Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, Immanuel KantWords, Works, Worlds, Nelson GoodmanRealism and Anti-Realism; Metaphysics and Empiricism, Anjan ChakravarttyKnowledge of the Mind The Experience of the Body and Classical Psychology, Maurice Merleau-PontyFrom Philosophical Investigations, Ludwig WittgensteinThe Solipsist, Troy JollimoreSensations and Brain Processes, J. J. C. SmartThe Nature of Mental States, Hilary PutnamWhat Is it Like to Be a Bat?, Thomas NagelMethods of Scientific Inquiry Aphorisms Concerning the Interpretation of Nature and the Kingdom of Man, Francis BaconA Survey of Some Fundamental Problems, Karl R. PopperBirth of a New Physics or Death of Nature?, Kathleen OkruhlikTeleology and the Relationship between Biology and the Physical Sciences in the Nineteenth Century, John BeattyPublic Knowledge, Public Trust: Toward Democratic Epistemic Practices, Lorraine CodePART THREE: THE GOOD Euthyphro, PlatoMoral Foundations From Nicomachean Ethics, AristotleFrom Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Ethics, Immanuel KantWhat Utilitarianism Is, John Stuart MillOn the Cognitive Content of Morality, Jurgen HabermasChallenges to Moral Foundations Morality as Anti-Nature, Friedrich NietzscheCritique of Ethics, A.J. AyerFrom "Existentialism and Humanism", Jean-Paul SartreCultural Relativism and Cultural Values, Melville J. HerskovitsGender and Morality Judging Other Cultures: The Case of Genital Mutilation, Martha C. NussbaumMoral Orientation and Moral Development, Carol GilliganEthics, "Feminine" Ethics, and Feminist Ethics, Susan SherwinJudging Other Cultures: The Case of Genital Mutilation, Martha NussbaumMoral Equality and "Natural" Subordination, Catherine WilsonPART FOUR: THE JUST Crito (or On Duty), PlatoCivil Disobedience Resistance to Civil Government, Henry D. ThoreauLetter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr.The Justification of Civil Disobedience, John RawlsDemocratic Government From Second Treatise of Government, John LockeFrom Considerations on Representative Government, John Stuart MillQuotas for Women, Anne PhillipsModernity, Persons, and Subpersons, Charles W. MillsMulticulturalism The Politics of Recognition, Charles TaylorFrom Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights, Will KymlickaLiberalism's Last Stand: Minority Rights and the (Mis)recognition of Aboriginal Sovereignty, Dale TurnerOn the Dark Side of Nation: Politics of Multiculturalism and the State of "Canada", Himani BannerjiPART FIVE: THE BEAUTIFUL Art as Imitation, PlatoDiotima on Beauty: Socrates' Speech in Symposium, PlatoArt and Aesthetics On the Metaphysics of the Beautiful and Aesthetics, Arthur SchopenhauerThe Artworld, Arthur DantoWhat Is Wrong with a Forgery?, Alfred LessingThe Aesthetics of Cultural Appropriation, James O. YoungA Beautiful Life From A Confession, Leo TolstoyThe Meanings of Lives, Susan WolfThe Makropulos Case: Reflections on the Tedium of Immortality, Bernard WilliamsGlossary